


cover to cover, the mark of a lover

by sophwrites



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:35:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21958984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophwrites/pseuds/sophwrites
Summary: Five Christmas traditions Mike shares with El, and one she shares with him. Post season two, pre-season three.
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler
Comments: 13
Kudos: 43





	cover to cover, the mark of a lover

**Author's Note:**

  * For [martygalwrites](https://archiveofourown.org/users/martygalwrites/gifts).



> For Marty.
> 
> Thank you for your kindness and your light and your wisdom. Thank you for your support, your generosity and your love of my memes. Life wouldn’t be the same without you, and mine is infinitely greater for having you in it! I really hope you like this, angel, it’s all for you. So much love.
> 
> Edit: mistakes now fixed. Sorry, I posted in a rush!

  
  
  


  
_1_

_Hot Chocolate_

Mike was so scared of dropping the two mugs he held, he almost didn’t notice his little sister lurking by the entrance to the basement. 

“Watcha doin’?” 

Mike didn’t really want to be disturbed today, but it was hard to ignore Holly when she had such an adorably inquisitive look on her face. 

“I made hot chocolate for me and El,” he said as the heat from the mugs almost burnt his hands. “She’s never had it before.”

“Never had hot choc!” Holly’s eyes were wide in surprise, and Mike had to stifle a laugh. She really was so sweet. “Noooooo.”

“Yeah,” Mike replied knowingly, wishing he could put the mugs down already, but not wanting to hurt Holly’s feelings by rushing off. “I better bring them to her before they get cold. I think Mom still has some left if you want.”

She cheered as she ran off, and he chuckled to himself, shouldering the door to the basement open. 

The house was decorated beautifully, his mother always made a point of making sure theirs was the most festive-looking one on the street, inside and out. But Mike loved the basement best, his space, that he got to make his own. Walking down the staircase, his eyes adjusted to the dim light emitting only from one side of the room.

“Mike?” A voice called to him. The voice was faint, muffled by the blankets it was under, and Mike grinned.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

El emerged from under the blanket fort, lifting up the panel they were using as a makeshift doorway and hitting him full force with her smile. Mike paused, forgetting himself, just breathing her in. The fairy lights that surrounded the fort cast a soft glow over her features, highlighting the gentle curve of her nose, the smooth skin of her cheeks. He was mesmerised.

“Mike? _Mike?_ ”

“Huh? What?” He startled, almost sloshing the hot chocolate over the sides of the mug. Regaining his senses, and more importantly control of his limbs, Mike bent down to hand one to her. El grabbed it excitedly, uncaring of the heat, and almost took a sip before Mike could warn her.

“Hey,” there was laughter in his voice as he settled in beside her, back to the wall. He pulled the door of the fort down with his foot, long limbs being used for something other than tripping over himself for once. “It’s hot, you gotta wait or you’ll burn your mouth.”

El looked apprehensive then, setting the mug down gently on her other side. 

Mike laughed again, cradling his drink against his chest for warmth. “I can’t believe Hop let you out, honestly.”

“He couldn’t really say no,” El titled her head to the side, thoughtful. God, he loved her so much. “I explained to him why it would be safe because no one would know I was here except you, me, him, and your mama. It’s only places with a lot of people he says no. And I have hair now, so.”

The wording was so simple, El speaking as if that in itself meant she was no longer in danger. He laughed, perfectly understanding what she meant, but finding her turn of phrase adorable anyway.

“Yeah, because everyone knows Russian spies don’t have hair.”

She giggled. He liked when they were able to make jokes about it. Not mean ones, or scary ones, but seeing the funny side of something that had been truly awful. There were still a lot of things they hadn’t talked about, like what happened when she’d closed the gate, or seen her mom. But Mike knew she’d tell him in time if she wanted to, and that was enough.

“I like my hair, now,” El admitted quietly, as if it was a secret. Mike’s heart stuttered. “It makes me feel…”

She trailed off, seeming unsure.

“Pretty?” Mike supplied, heart clenching almost painfully now, eyes glazing over as he abstractly watched El’s face contort, obviously thinking of the same memory. He looked at the room, so different yet the same, frozen in time but full of memories. Of El when she arrived, of her sleeping down here. Those memories were mirrored with his own, ones she could only guess at. Static on the radio. Lonely nights. He closed his eyes forcefully at the onslaught of memories, remembering lying in this very spot, crying, on the days between zero and three hundred and fifty-three. 

Reaching for her hand, he grasped it tightly. She held on just as firmly, both caught momentarily in the haze of what used to be, their pain as perfect counterparts, two sides of the same coin. 

“You’re here now,” Mike whispered, reminding himself as well as her. Their interlinked fingers kept him grounded in reality. “It’s over. You’re here.”

El nodded frantically, coming back to herself from whatever dark place she’d been. Mike didn’t know if he wanted to know, but he’d listen if she wanted to share. There wasn’t much he wouldn’t do for El, and that thought wasn’t as overwhelming as it probably should have been. 

“I’m gonna try my hot chocolate,” El murmured, letting go of Mike’s hand to cradle her mug with both. Mike watched as she took her first sip, unable to keep his eyes off her lips. Still, in that moment, he appreciated the slow smile that spread across her face more than the thought of kissing her.

“ _Mmmm,”_ El hummed, blowing on it gently. Mike guessed she’d seen Hop do that to his coffee. She took another sip, and her face glowed with contentment. “This is _so_ good. Can we only have it at Christmas?”

“No, El,” Mike gave her his full attention, searching and finding peace when he found nothing but happiness radiating from her. “We can have it whenever you want.”

“And Eggos?” She asked hopefully. He knew Hop had her on somewhat of an Eggo ban, wanting her to eat ‘real’ food, but as long as Mike was around, he’d make sure she could have whatever she wanted.

“Yeah, and Eggos,”

She snuggled into his side then, carefully balancing her mug in her lap. Mike put his arm around her, holding her close and relishing in the fact that he could. The novelty still hadn’t worn off. In the quiet, they lay there, under the imitation of starlight, breathing each other in with no words needed between them.

_2_

_Ice Skating_

“This is… hard.”

Mike laughed as he watched El wobble, barely managing to keep herself upright. Only for clinging to the side of the rink, she would have gone down hard, and he couldn’t help the sheepish smile that crossed his face at her expense.

“You get used to it,” Mike said charitably, grabbing her left hand with his right and giving it a gentle squeeze for good measure. “It just takes some practice.”

She gave him a cross look, eyebrows furrowed and mouth small, set in a determined little line. Her facial expression contrasted directly with her posture, hunched over, her free hand in a white-knuckle grip on the barrier. 

Mike bit his lip, unsure whether to offer assistance or not. El liked to figure things out for herself, in her own time, but his natural instinct was always to help her. There was no way to stop it.

“Do you need…”

“ _No_ ,” she muttered determinedly, sending him another nasty look, but Mike just laughed. He knew she didn’t mean it like that. “I can do it.”

His lips twisted in a wry grin, looking around The Roller Cave. The only reason they’d been allowed out was because the ice rink was in Indianapolis, where no one would know them, unlikely to be spotted or recognised. Hopper had been dead set against it at first, all gruff beard and righteous indignation, but Mike had won him round. Days and weeks of constant pestering, begging and pleading when El had been out of an earshot, had worn the Chief down. _C’mon, Hop. El’s never had a proper Christmas, I need to show her what it’s like!_ And, _she’s already been out once, and that turned out okay! Please let me take her._

Eventually, one night in early December, Hopper had relented. 

_Mike had been just about to mount his bike, sun setting a watery pink and purple over the horizon. It was still early, but his mom didn’t like him biking in the dark. Not after everything. She didn’t know anything, not for certain, but she wasn’t stupid. Mike had a grudging appreciation for her awareness of the situation, despite being kept in the dark._

_“Hey, kid,” Hopper had muttered, startling Mike slightly. He hadn’t heard him walk onto the porch. “Alright.”_

_“What?” Mike’s brain hadn’t caught up with the meaning of the words, his nose scrunched up in confusion. He was getting taller, and he stood up to his full height, not too far off of the Chief now._

_Hopper had paused, looking to the Heavens as if he was about to say something he’d regret._

_“I said, alright. You can take her to this… ice rink, or whatever.”_

_The sour look on his face was replaced with the ghost of a smile as Mike let out a quiet whoop of joy._

_“Are you serious?” Mike had almost screeched._

_“Yeah,” Hop had said lowly, the dominating stance of crossed arms undermined by his genuine, warm smile. “I can see how much you wanna take her, and she deserves to do something normal, for once. But this is a one off, okay? And there’s gonna be conditions.”_

_“Yeah, yeah of course,” Mike had said distractedly, mind racing at how he was going to tell El, how excited she’d be._

_“First of all, I’m gonna take you both there and pick you up, alright? I’ll wait outside, however long it takes. I don’t want you travelling alone. Second of all, this isn’t gonna become a regular thing. It’s only because it’s Christmas, and you’re right, she deserves to do something that everyone else is doing. Third of all—are you even listening to me?”_

_Mike hadn’t been, but he wasn’t about to let the Chief know that._

_“Yeah, yeah, of course! Sorry,” he breathed in a rush, unable to keep the grin off of his face, “Thank you, Hop. I… I really appreciate it. I just wanna make her first Christmas special.”_

_Hopper had softened, and Mike noticed a far away look in his eye. They stood in the fading light, the cold chill out the outside air unwelcome compared to the warmth radiating from the cabin. Mike wished he didn’t have to leave. As they faced each other, a look of understanding passed between them. They both wanted what was best for El, to protect her and take care of her. That was something they were both still getting used to._

_“I know. Me too, kid.” Hop had patted Mike’s left shoulder, looking sad all of a sudden. “After everything… She, more than anyone, deserves to have good things.”_

_Mike had nodded, unsure how to properly reply to that. He wanted to make El the happiest person in the world, no words could capture the enormity of that._

_“You can tell her tomorrow, alright?” Hop had said, turning to go back to into the warm cabin. “I’ll take you on Saturday. We’ll work out the details tomorrow.”_

_“Saturday,” Mike had said reverently. That was only three days away, and he could hardly contain his excitement, suddenly a big ball of directionless energy. “Okay. See you tomorrow Hop!”_

The memory receded quickly, the contentment replaced by discomfort when Mike felt the chill of the rink. El hadn’t made it much further, letting go of his hand whilst he was daydreaming, and clinging to the side almost desperately with both arms. 

“Okay there?” 

The tease rolled off his tongue unbidden, but El let out an exasperated laugh, clearly so frustrated she’d crossed over into resignation at her lack of skill.

“Why do people do this for fun?” She huffed, and Mike gently glided toward her, trying not to trip over himself. He was no expert, but after doing this for years, he managed not to stumble over his own feet.

Most of the time, anyway.

“It’s good once you get the hang of it,” he chuckled, softly grasping her elbow. “Why don’t you hold on to me, and we’ll try and do a circle?”

“Okay,” she agreed gingerly, and it hit Mike like a physical blow, just how much she trusted him. Here she was, holding onto him like a lifeline, not knowing what she’d even agreed to when he told her where they were going. But he’d been bright and happy, so she had too, ready to experience anything and everything he was willing to show her. Looking at her tenderly, he made a mental promise to never let her trust in him falter.

“I’ve got you,” he cooed gently, as she went from clinging to the side to grasping his arm in a tight grip. El looked down at her skates on the ice and he looked at the top of her head affectionately, wanting to nuzzle her, kiss her soft hair. He settled for pulling her closer, and by virtue felt her trembling hands, from the cold or nerves he wasn’t sure.

“Mike, I don’t like this,” El said earnestly, looking up at him suddenly with wide, fearful eyes. 

“I promise I won’t let you get hurt,” he bit the inside of his cheek, trying to stop his smile. He knew she was being serious, and he didn’t want her to think he was making fun. But she was just so, _so_ cute and he didn’t know how to handle it.

“Promise?” 

He let his smile show then, fond. “I promise.”

They managed three quarters of a loop, and El was getting the hang of it. Rather than a death grip on his arm, she’d downgraded to a mildly painful grip on his hand, but he didn’t mind. Watching her eyes light up as she mastered this new skill, getting to be free, doing happy things with someone who cared about her… that _more_ than made up for it.

“See, I knew you could do it!”

“Thanks, Mike,” she murmured, her grin timid but genuine. “I don’t know how you got Hop to say yes to this… But thank you. I’m having fun.”

“Me too,” he affirmed, unable to hide the lovesick look he was sure was written all over his face, luminous like a flashing neon sign.

El was wearing a little red hat, hair curling under the sides as it was pinned down. It was the same colour as the flush of her cheeks, prominent from the physical exertion of learning to skate. She was bundled up in a big black coat, making her look like a puffy marshmallow, all big eyes and small hands. Mike had never seen anyone more beautiful.

“I think… I think Hop did this with Sara,” she said quietly, so quietly that Mike almost didn’t hear her. The ice rink was busy, crowded with parents and children and couples, all soaking up the festive atmosphere. People zoomed past them, almost jostling them as they came to a standstill. Mike felt the precarious nature of this moment, the cost of the admission.

“Did he tell you that?”

“Not exactly…” El was getting better with her words, her phrasing. He’d been helping her, and so had Hop, even watching the television meant she was picking up new words. Sometimes, her turn of phrase was so on the nose, it sent Mike into fits of laughter. She always got pink-cheeked and rosy when that happened, like she was overjoyed that she’d managed to impress him. He didn’t care if she spoke a mile a minute or not at all, just spending time with her was enough. Seeing her happy was all he could have ever dared to hope for.

“He said, I’d enjoy it. It would be fun. It sounded like… he’d done it before.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Mike agreed, squeezing her hand again. Sometimes, he still couldn’t believe she was here in front of him. After being without her for so long, it was almost surreal to see her every day. “He said he wanted you to do something that everyone else does at Christmas.”

“It’s nice,” El nodded, “Being able to do… normal stuff.”

Mike thought this was a good a time as any to tell her. He’d been wanting to for weeks, but never quite been able to work up the nerve. There was no rush, but something was itching under his skin to say it, buzzing and humming. Like if he didn’t he’d burst.

“I’m really glad we could, uh, do this El. I really missed you when you were gone.”

“I missed you too, Mike,” she hummed his name like it was her favourite song, and he all but melted. 

“I just really wanted you to know that—"

_Smack._

Mike immediately felt pain blossoming in the back of his head, so acute that it took all his effort not to whimper. A warm weight lay on top of him as his back was flat on the ice, the wetness seeping through the back of his sweater causing him to shiver.

The weight started to giggle, the vibration rattling against his own ribcage, until he couldn’t help but laugh too. 

“I’m—I’m—Sorry Mike—”

El could hardly get the words out amongst her giggles, and he realised she’d grabbed him as she lost her footing, causing him to go down first, cushioning her fall.

He shook his head, still chuckling. How could he ever be mad at her?

“It’s okay,” he smiled and meant it, “I told you I wouldn’t let you get hurt.”

_3_

_Christmas Tree_

“So why does everyone do this every year?” El asked as she hung a bright red bauble on the tree. Hop had bought one specially, and bought some new lights to put up around the cabin too. By now, the town had heard of Chief Hopper’s new adopted daughter, even if they hadn’t seen her. Mike knew Hopper had told people she’d been raised in a cruel home, that she wasn’t ready to be outside all the time, so he was having her home-schooled. He’d said that the kids had found her, befriended her, and the two of them had bonded, so he’d decided to adopt her.

It wasn’t _untrue_ , but it kind of made Mike cringe to think of her story, _their_ story, simplified and written off like that.

In reality, Mike knew it was necessary. El needed to be safe, and this was the only way to do so. But talking about her coming from a bad home made the fact that she _did_ come from a bad home, even if that’s not what he would call it, very real.

They hardly ever spoke of it, of the lab, or her _Papa_. Mike thought it hurt her to remember, and he couldn’t blame her. It hurt him too. He could still feel a rawness in his throat from crying, the moment she was ripped away from him tangible, even now.

He coughed, remembering she’d asked him a question.

“Uh, a while? I guess?” Mike was trying to think. Had anyone ever told him where they came from? He thought he recalled his dad droning on about it one evening years ago. “It’s actually a German tradition, so I think some German settlers brought them over. I wanna say in the 1800s, but I don’t know for sure.”

El was looking at him with concentration, giving him her full attention as he spoke. When he finished, she nodded so solemly, like every word Mike said was to be cherished. He’d never had someone who gave him this much of their attention before, and he felt a blush starting to creep up his neck at the thought.

“It’s weird how Christmas has all these… What are they called again?”

“Traditions?” Mike guessed.

“Yeah, traditions,” El said slowly, sounding the word out. She mumbled to herself and Mike smiled, she really was so clever. 

“They don’t make a lot of sense, but it’s kinda fun.”

Mike would rather the ground swallowed him up than ever admit he still enjoyed helping his mom put the decorations up around the house. The last few years, Nancy had cried off doing it, always making excuses, but there was something about it to Mike. It always made him really feel like it was Christmas.

Getting to share these traditions with El just made it even better.

“I like it,” El agreed, smiling a toothy grin. She hung another bauble on the tree, this time pink. Hopper had asked her what kind of decorations she wanted, if she wanted to follow a theme. Mike had been there at the time, and he wasn’t sure El quite knew what Hop meant, but she’d understood enough. _No theme,_ she’d said, _I want everything_. That’s how they’d ended up with possibly every bauble colour that ever existed. It was chaotic, in comparison to Mike’s mom’s strict themes and regimented Christmas decoration schedule, but he loved it. The messiness and overwhelming feeling of love that came from the decorations, the cabin, from _El_.

Mike supposed when someone had never had Christmas, to suddenly have it must have felt like all her Christmas’ had come at once, so to speak. 

“Hey Mike?” El called quietly after they’d lapsed into silence for a while. They’d nearly finishing hanging up the baubles now, carefully weaving them around the lights. The tree wasn’t that big, but El levitated the baubles to the areas they couldn’t reach, just for fun. Mike thought his face might split with the force of his smile.

“Yeah El?”

“Thank you… for being here,” El looked nervous, and Mike couldn’t tell why. “I… I like it when you’re here.”

Mike wondered if that’s _really_ what she wanted to say. If she wanted to say something else, just as much as he wanted to. He wondered how long they’d dance around each other. He didn’t mind, he was kind of enjoying it. 

They hadn’t confirmed anything yet, not really. They’d been spending every day together so far since she’d been back, Mike biking to hers after school, sometimes with everyone else, mostly by himself. He enjoyed spending time with her more than he could put into words, and to hear that she felt the same made his skin tingle. He didn’t want to rush her, or pressure her, he just wanted to spend time with her, enjoy her presence that he’d been painfully deprived of for almost a year. They hadn’t kissed again since that night at the snowball, not really. Little fumbling pecks and blushes that could have put Rudolph’s red nose to shame, but Mike was so happy he could hardly care. She was so precious, and she wanted to give her time to him, and that’s more than he could have ever hoped for.

“I like it too. A lot.” He replied, taking her left hand in his right and gently pulling her into his side until she bumped into him. His arm went around her shoulders instead, pulling her close and delicately pressing a kiss to her hair. He heard her sigh, exhale and relax into his touch, and he couldn’t believe how lucky he was. 

_4_

_Advent Calendar_

“What was behind the door today?” Mike asked through a mouthful of chocolate. It was the 14th of December, so she’d had two weeks to get accustomed to the tradition.

He was keeping his advent calendar at El’s, since he knew he’d be there every day to open it. He told his mom he was hiding it in his room, to keep it away from his sisters, but she didn’t need to know the truth. She didn’t know he came to see El every day, and he didn’t want her to either. It was none of her business.

They were sat facing each other on the rug, both legs crossed and knees touching. It felt very intimate to Mike, even though it was nothing really. 

“It was… round,” El looked down at her hand, as if she was going to find the piece of chocolate there, even though Mike knew she’d already eaten it. She could never wait, but he didn’t mind. Her excitement was infectious and he didn’t want to stop her. “Like a blob. Hopper said it was meant to be… a man, made out of snow.”

Mike laughed. “A snowman.”

They hadn’t had enough snow yet to make a snowman, only getting enough for it turn the ground slushy and brown. It was hard, sometimes, when El lived so far out in the cabin. Through no fault of their own, they missed out on doing things together because of the way she had to live. But he was more glad that she was safe, and he’d travel anywhere to get to her. 

“When it snows… will we make one?”

Her look was shy. Mike had found she was still reluctant to ask for things, even now, after a year of living with Hopper. A childhood of never being able to ask anything at all had left it’s imprint, so Mike always did his best to give her whatever she asked for. 

“Definitely,” he swallowed the last of his chocolate, a snowflake, and took her right hand with his. “Maybe closer to Christmas it’ll snow more and we can build one then.”

“Yes,” she said, contented. “Will I see you on… Christmas?”

Mike frowned. He didn’t want to lie to her. “I’m not sure, mom usually invites our cousins from Montana and they stay for a while. They’re coming next week I think, so I have to spend time with them.”

El nodded, not looking happy or sad, just looking. He didn’t like that he couldn’t read her sometimes, it made his skin itch. “That’s okay.”

“I’ll try though,” he promised hurriedly, “I really wanna see you, and I’m sure everyone else will too. If we all say we’re going then maybe our parents will let us out more easily.”

“Yes,” she smiled then, the balmy glow of the lamps bathing her skin orange, like fire flickering gently across her face. Mike rather thought it reflected her inside out: fierce, determined, powerful. But soft too, warm and inviting. “I’d… like that.”

“Are you looking forward to Christmas?” 

“Yeah,” and her smile was all syrupy sweet, “Hop is stressed. I think he’s worried I won’t enjoy it.” 

“I guess he’s not had to worry about Christmas for a long time,” Mike frowned. “He lost his daughter a while ago. I guess he just wants to make it special for you.”

“This is more than I’ve ever had,” El replied solemnly, and Mike’s heart skipped a beat, “I’m happy. Not halfway. Just happy.”

A lump had suddenly formed in Mike’s throat, tight and making his jaw ache with it. He refused to acknowledge the beginnings of tears stinging his eyes, but he could see the watery shine of El’s staring back at him, so he thought maybe she understood. 

_5_

_Baking_

“Mike! _Mike!_ ” El giggled, but he could barely hear her over the sound of his spoon clattering against the mixing bowl. “What are you _doing?_ ”

“You gotta mix it fast!” He yelled, voice pure glee, and El laughed harder. “My mom has this electric thing, but we don’t have that so you gotta. Mix. _Fast!_ ”

He’d been mentally prepping for this for weeks. He managed to get out of the house and slip past his family under the guise of one last Christmas campaign at Dustin’s house, and his mom had bought it. The six of them had been playing games and watching movies at the cabin all morning, but by the afternoon it was just El and Mike left. 

Hopper was never too happy to leave them on their own, but he had to work, so he didn’t have much choice. Mike knew he wasn’t too upset about this particular activity, however, since he’d help Mike buy all the ingredients they needed, a soft smile flittering across his face when Mike had asked for his help. It was his mom that had been more suspicious, shooting him glances Mike was sure she thought were surreptitious when he offered to help her prepare for the Christmas bake sale.

He observed thoughtfully, tasting as he went along, wondering which recipe would be the easiest to replicate with El and a lack of supervision. After putting the last tray of brownies in the oven, Mike made his decision, and settled on chocolate chip cookies.

He thought El would enjoy snacking on the chips the best, and the thought made him smile. 

“I don’t think that’s how you do it!” El shouted, a look of manic joy in her eyes Mike had never seen before. New things were always so exciting to her, particularly those she could touch. She wasn’t the biggest fan of abstract concepts, but Mike knew the action of mixing the ingredients and having something tangible at the end excited her massively. 

“It is!” Mike argued, laughing. “I’ve watched my mom do it a thousand times!”

Admittedly he was mixing a bit aggressively, adding some flair for El’s benefit. She watched him with rapt attention, never taking her eyes off of the mixture which was rapidly becoming a paste. He’d borrowed some cookie cutters from his mother’s kitchen cabinet because he knew El would love the shapes. Secretly, he was most excited to use the heart shaped one, not that he’d ever confess that out loud. 

El just shook her head at his antics, accepting that he was a little bit mad. Mike found that so much had happened to them, sometimes it was best to just go with these things. They had to make the most of every moment. 

“Can I taste it?”

“You’re not supposed to.”

“Why not?”

“It’s got bad stuff in it, it can make you sick if you eat it before it’s cooked.”

El looked thoughtful, as if it hadn’t occurred to her that uncooked food could make you ill. “Okay. But I can eat the chocolate, right?”

“Yeah, I got extra just so you could eat the chips,” Mike grinned at the way her eyes lit up, immediately sticking her hand into the bag of chocolate chips.

Mike watched her for a second, stopping his whisking. She was concentrating comparing the size of one chip to another between both her index fingers and thumbs. Her tongue was poking out a little and she looked so intrigued Mike’s heart swelled. 

He knew other people didn’t feel this way, not always. He certainly didn’t think his mom and dad had ever felt this way about each other, otherwise they wouldn’t speak to one another the way they did. He knew everyone fought sometimes, like when him and Lucas had argued about keeping El a secret, but when you really loved someone, it was hard not to want understand them. Platonic or romantic or familial; the curious lift of an eyebrow, the gentle brush of a hand against someone’s back, the softness of a temple kiss. Interpreting another person was like a language all on its own, and Mike couldn’t wait to be fluent. 

Once they’d cut out the cookies, they put them in the oven and sat in front of it, leeching the warmth with their sides pressed up against each other. 

Then they were ready, and they were hot and gooey and perfect. El had chocolate all over her fingers, and he had some smudged over his face. She looked at him intensely and in that moment he _knew._ They weren’t going to say it, not yet, but he felt their love for each other filling up every space between them, slowly fitting their broken and bent pieces together as one.

_+1_

_Mistletoe_

Mike didn’t know what to expect, really. 

He’d shown El so many Christmas traditions over the weeks of December, and he’d enjoyed every single one. But he’d never expected her to reciprocate, especially not on Christmas Day.

“Hey,” she said, shy and almost coy. He’d smiled sweetly at her, cuddling her close to his side as they sat on the couch in the cabin. Everyone else had gone, biked back to their respective homes, leaving only Mike and El. Hopper was outside, giving them a moment of privacy, Mike was sure. He had to leave soon, and as much as the Chief was still unsure about his daughter’s boyfriend, Mike knew he wanted her to be happy, more than anything. 

“Hey,” Mike whispered, “I’m so glad I got to see you today.”

“Me too,” El grinned, still looking mischievous. It was a good look on her. “There’s something else I wanted to give you before you go.”

Mike raised his eyebrows, not expecting this. They’d given each other their presents, pictures of each other in frames, traded posters, Mike even gave her Rory, in memory of the first week they ever met. She’d started crying at that and Mike had been mildly alarmed, but she reassured him they were happy tears and his panic had subsided.

“I thought we were done with presents?”

“We are, except one,” El whispered, leaning toward him. “I know we haven’t talked about it but… I want you to be my… Boyfriend, Mike. It feels like you already are, but, I just… wanted to say it. So… It was real.”

“This is real,” he reassured softly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She was so close now, he could feel her breath ghosting against his lips and he felt so happy he could burst. “Of course I wanna be with you El. I didn’t wanna rush you, but… I want to be your boyfriend more than anything.”

Her smile lit up the whole room, and he was so distracted by it he barely noticed her holding a sprig of green above their heads.

He faltered, glancing up at it and then looking back at her curiously.

“Hop told me,” she said by way of explanation. “I saw it on TV… He explained what it meant… I thought it would be… romantic.”

His laugh was deep and full, unable to keep the joy from his face, could feel his eyes crinkling at the corners. She leant over and kissed him then, soft and tender and exhilarating, and the world moved from under him, finally slotting into place. 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think?


End file.
